In Planta Monitoring of Cold-Responsive Promoter Activity Reveals a Distinctive Photoperiodic Response in Cold Acclimation

Author(s):  
Yoko Tominaga ◽  
Kensaku Suzuki ◽  
Matsuo Uemura ◽  
Yukio Kawamura

Abstract Plant cold acclimation involves complicated pathways that integrate signals from temperature changes and light conditions. To understand plant responses to environmental signals in detail, molecular events that are regulated by temperature and light must be investigated at the whole-plant level in a nondestructive way. Using the promoter of COR15A connected to the luciferase reporter gene as a cold-responsive indicator, we developed an in planta monitoring system for gene expression under controlled temperature and photoperiod conditions. COR15A promoter activity was intensified by day–night cycles at 2°C, while its induction was abruptly suppressed in the dark at 8°C or higher, indicating a difference in responsiveness to photocycle between these two acclimation conditions. Freeze–thawing tests of whole plants proved that lower acclimation temperature resulted in higher tolerance to freezing, consistent with the temperature-dependent induction of COR15A. Inhibition of photosynthetic electron transport by 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea eliminated the responsiveness to the day–night cycles at 2°C, indicating a possibility that the photosynthetic redox and/or the accumulation of photosynthates modulate COR15A responsiveness to photoperiod during cold acclimation, in addition to the well-known regulation by CBF (C-repeat binding factor) genes. These findings indicate that the cold-responsive promoter is regulated by distinctive mechanisms dependent on temperature and simultaneously affected by photocycle and photosynthesis.


Hypertension ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 36 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. 721-721
Author(s):  
Quan He

P155 Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) gene expression accompanies cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. The vasoconstrictor endothelin-1 (ET)may be involved in the development of these diseases. ET has also been shown to activate phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2 ). Thus we studied whether ET and PLA 2 metabolites regulate BNP gene expression. The hBNP promoter (-1818 to + 100) coupled to a luciferase reporter gene was transferred into neonatal ventricular myocytes (NVM),and luciferase activity was measured as an index of promoter activity. ET (10 -7 M)induced BNP mRNA in NVM as assessed by Northern blot. It also stimulated the hBNP promoter 4-fold vs control, an effect completely inhibited by actinomycin D. To test the involvement of different PLA 2 isoforms, transfected cells were treated with the Ca ++ -independent PLA 2 (iPLA 2 )inhibitor bromoenol lactone (BEL), the cytosolic PLA 2 inhibitor methyl arachidonyl fluorophosphonate, or the secretory PLA 2 inhibitor ONO-RS-082 prior to stimulation with ET. Only the iPLA 2 inhibitor BEL prevented ET-stimulated hBNP promoter activity. The PLA 2 metabolite lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) also activated the hBNP promoter (2.2-fold; n = 3), but lysophosphatidylcholine did not. To test whether arachidonic acid metabolites are involved in ET’s effect, cells were pretreated with either a lipoxygenase (LO), cyclooxygenase, or p450 monooxygenase inhibitor. Only the LO inhibitor baicalein prevented ET stimulation of the hBNP promoter. Finally, we studied the involvement of cis elements in ET-stimulated hBNP promoter activity. Deletion of BNP promoter sequences from -1818 to -408 and from -408 to -40 reduced ET’s effect by 54% and 78%, respectively. Moreover, ET-stimulated luciferase activity was reduced by 53% when the GATA element (at position -85 relative to the start site of transcription) was mutated. These data suggest that: 1) ET activates the hBNP promoter through a transcriptional mechanism; 2) LPA, perhaps generated by a BEL-sensitive iPLA 2 , is involved in ET’s effect; 3) a LO pathway may also mediate ET signaling; and 4) ET regulation of the hBNP promoter targets both distal and proximal cis elements, including GATA.



2013 ◽  
Vol 451 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edina Pandur ◽  
Katalin Sipos ◽  
László Grama ◽  
Judit Nagy ◽  
Viktor S. Poór ◽  
...  

Hepcidin is the major regulatory peptide hormone of iron metabolism, encoded by the HAMP (hepcidin antimicrobial peptide) gene. Hepcidin is expressed mainly in hepatocytes, but is also found in the blood in both a mature and prohormone form. Although, the function of mature hepcidin and the regulation of the HAMP gene have been extensively studied, the intracellular localization and the fate of prohepcidin remains controversial. In the present study, we propose a novel role for prohepcidin in the regulation of its own transcription. Using indirect immunofluorescence and mCherry tagging, a portion of prohepcidin was detected in the nucleus of hepatocytes. Prohepcidin was found to specifically bind to the STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) site in the promoter of HAMP. Overexpression of prohepcidin in WRL68 cells decreased HAMP promoter activity, whereas decreasing the amount of prohepcidin caused increased promoter activity measured by a luciferase reporter-gene assay. Moreover, overexpression of the known prohepcidin-binding partner, α-1 antitrypsin caused increased HAMP promoter activity, suggesting that only the non-α-1 antitrypsin-bound prohepcidin affects the expression of its own gene. The results of the present study indicate that prohepcidin can bind to and transcriptionally regulate the expression of HAMP, suggesting a novel autoregulatory pathway of hepcidin gene expression in hepatocytes.



2003 ◽  
Vol 372 (2) ◽  
pp. 529-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zufan ARAYA ◽  
Wanjin TANG ◽  
Kjell WIKVALL

The mitochondrial sterol 27-hydroxylase (CYP27A1) is a multifunctional cytochrome P450 enzyme that catalyses important hydroxylations in the biosynthesis of bile acids and bioactivation of vitamin D3. Previous results [Babiker, Andersson, Lund, Xiu, Deeb, Reshef, Leitersdorf, Diczfalusy and Björkhem (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 26253–26261] suggest that CYP27A1 plays an important role in cholesterol homoeostasis and affects atherogenesis. In the present study, the regulation of the human CYP27A1 gene by growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), dexamethasone, thyroid hormones and PMA was studied. HepG2 cells were transfected transiently with luciferase reporter gene constructs containing DNA fragments flanking the 5′-region of the human CYP27A1 gene. GH, IGF-1 and dexamethasone increased the promoter activity by 2–3-fold, whereas thyroxine (T4) and PMA repressed the activity significantly when measured with luciferase activity expressed in the cells. The endogenous CYP27A1 enzyme activity in the cells was stimulated by GH, IGF-1 and dexamethasone, whereas T4 and PMA inhibited the activity. Experiments with progressive deletion/luciferase reporter gene constructs indicated that the response elements for GH may be localized in a region upstream to position −1094 bp. The putative response elements for dexamethasone were mapped to positions between −792 and −1095 bp. The −451 bp fragment of the human CYP27A1 gene was found to confer the activation by IGF-1, and the inhibition by T4 and PMA. Results of the present study suggest that CYP27A1 is regulated in human cells by hormones and signal-transduction pathways.



Blood ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 1828-1835 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Korhonen ◽  
I Lahtinen ◽  
M Halmekyto ◽  
L Alhonen ◽  
J Janne ◽  
...  

The tie gene encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase that is expressed in the endothelium of blood vessels, particularly during embryonic development and angiogenesis in adults. We have cloned and characterized the mouse tie gene and isolated the human and mouse tie promoters. The promoter activities of human and mouse tie were analyzed using luciferase reporter gene constructs in transfected cell lines and beta-galactosidase constructs in transgenic mice. In transfection assays of cultured cells, both human and mouse promoter DNA fragments showed activity that was not restricted to endothelial cells. In contrast, in transgenic mice both promoters directed expression of the reporter gene to endothelial cells undergoing vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. In adult mice, tie promoter activity in lung and many vessels of the kidney was as high as in the vessels of the corresponding embryonic tissues, whereas in the heart, brain and liver, tie promoter activity was downregulated and restricted to coronaries, cusps, capillaries, and arteries. Our results show that the endothelial cell-type specificity of the tie promoter in vivo can be transferred to heterologous genes by using relatively short promoter fragments. The tie promoter, thus, has useful properties for potential gene therapy.



2000 ◽  
Vol 278 (6) ◽  
pp. E1115-E1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quan He ◽  
Guiyun Wu ◽  
Margot C. Lapointe

Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) gene expression and chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system are characteristics of the development of heart failure. We studied the role of the β-adrenergic signaling pathway in regulation of the human BNP (hBNP) promoter. An hBNP promoter (−1818 to +100) coupled to a luciferase reporter gene was transferred into neonatal cardiac myocytes, and luciferase activity was measured as an index of promoter activity. Isoproterenol (ISO), forskolin, and cAMP stimulated the promoter, and the β2-antagonist ICI 118,551 abrogated the effect of ISO. In contrast, the protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor H-89 failed to block the action of cAMP and ISO. Pertussis toxin (PT), which inactivates Gαi, inhibited ISO- and cAMP-stimulated hBNP promoter activity. The Src tyrosine kinase inhibitor PP1 and a dominant-negative mutant of the small G protein Rac also abolished the effect of ISO and cAMP. Finally, we studied the involvement of M-CAT-like binding sites in basal and inducible regulation of the hBNP promoter. Mutation of these elements decreased basal and cAMP-induced activity. These data suggest that β-adrenergic regulation of hBNP is PKA independent, involves a Gαi-activated pathway, and targets regulatory elements in the proximal BNP promoter.



Endocrinology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 150 (5) ◽  
pp. 2183-2189 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Selva ◽  
Geoffrey L. Hammond

Plasma SHBG production by the liver is influenced by its metabolic state, and hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α regulates SHBG expression in response to changes in lipogenesis. Peroxisome-proliferator receptors (PPARs) also regulate glucose homeostasis and fatty acid metabolism. The human SHBG promoter contains a PPAR-response element (PPAR-RE), and plasma SHBG levels increase in polycystic ovarian syndrome patients treated with the PPARγ agonist, rosiglitazone. In addition, plasma SHBG levels are associated with a genetic polymorphism in the PPARγ-2 coding sequence that alters its transcriptional activity. Therefore, we set out to determine whether PPARγ influences hepatic production of SHBG by using human HepG2 hepatoblastoma cells as an in vitro model. Surprisingly, treatment of HepG2 cells with rosiglitazone reduced SHBG production and SHBG promoter activity (as assessed in a luciferase reporter gene assay) by 20–25%, whereas the PPARγ antagonist, GW9662, increased both by 2- to 3-fold. The effects of PPARγ agonists and antagonists on SHBG promoter activity were substantially diminished when the PPAR-RE in the SHBG promoter was mutated. A PPARγ small interfering RNA also increased SHBG production by HepG2 cells as well as SHBG promoter activity, and the latter was accentuated by cotreatment with GW9662. Importantly, overexpression of a PPARγ-2 Pro12 variant in HepG2 cells was more effective at reducing SHBG promoter activity, when compared with PPARγ-2 Ala12, consistent with its superior PPAR-RE binding activity. We conclude that PPARγ represses human SHBG expression in liver cells, and that differences in PPARγ levels and activity contribute directly to variations in plasma SHBG levels.



2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (1) ◽  
pp. L52-L59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Ding ◽  
Saverio Bellusci ◽  
Wei Shi ◽  
David Warburton

The expression of Sprouty4 ( Spry4), an intracellular FGF receptor antagonist, shows a temporally and spatially restricted pattern in embryonic lung and is induced by ERK signaling. To clarify the molecular mechanisms regulating Spry4 transcription, the genomic structure of the human Sprouty4 ( hSpry4) gene was first determined by using the GenomeWalker kit. The hSpry4 gene spans > 14 kb and is organized in three exons and two introns. Multiple transcription start sites were subsequently mapped by 5′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Analysis of up to 4 kb of sequence in the 5′-flanking region of the gene showed the presence of multiple potential transcription factor binding sites but no TATA or CAAT boxes. Transient transfection using luciferase reporter gene constructs with progressive deletions of the hSpry4 5′-flanking region revealed that the core promoter activity is located within the proximal 0.4-kb region, whereas the minimal ERK-inducible promoter activity is between −69 and −31. Homology analysis further showed that the core promoter region of the hSpry4 gene exhibits significant similarity to the 5′-flanking region of the mouse gene.



2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena I. Suszko ◽  
Denise J. Lo ◽  
Hoonkyo Suh ◽  
Sally A. Camper ◽  
Teresa K. Woodruff

Abstract FSH is controlled by a variety of positive and negative stimuli, and the unique FSHβ-subunit is a major target for this regulation. Activin is a key modulator of FSHβ transcription and hormone secretion. The signal transduction pathway leading to FSH expression was previously unknown. Here, we show that the transcription factors Smad3 and Smad4 mediate activin-stimulated activity of the rat FSHβ promoter in a pituitary-derived cell line, LβT2. Cells were transiently transfected with the rat FSHβ promoter fused to a luciferase reporter gene (−338rFSHβ-Luc), and a minimal activin-responsive region was identified. Transfection of Smad3, but not the highly related Smad2, led to a ligand-independent stimulation of the FSHβ promoter activity. As expected, activin caused an additional increase of luciferase expression, which was blocked by cotreatment with follistatin. Although Smad4 alone had no effect on FSHβ transcription, it significantly augmented Smad3 and activin-mediated stimulation of the promoter. A palindromic consensus Smad-binding element in the proximal promoter was found to bind Smad4, and elimination of the region resulted in a loss of activin-mediated FSHβ transcription. The activin signaling pathway is conserved in a number of cells, but FSHβ expression is restricted to gonadotropes. A pituitary-specific transcription factor necessary for activin-dependent induction of the FSHβ promoter has been identified that permits FSHβ expression in nongonadotrope cells. Pitx2 is a member of Pitx subfamily of bicoid-related homeodomain factors that is required for pituitary development and is present in the adult pituitary. This factor was transfected into LβT2 cells, where it caused up-regulation of basal and activin-mediated FSHβ promoter activity. Furthermore, cotransfection of Pitx2c with Smad3 in kidney-derived TSA cells resulted in activin-regulated FSHβ response, suggesting its important role in tissue-restricted regulation of FSHβ by activin. A Pitx2c binding site was identified within the proximal promoter, and elimination of this region also resulted in a loss of activin-regulated FSHβ promoter activity. Taken together, these studies suggest that the regulation of FSHβ is dependent on activin-mediated signaling factors in concert with pituitary-derived nuclear regulatory proteins.



2005 ◽  
Vol 393 (1) ◽  
pp. 321-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella De Luca ◽  
Paolo Sacchetta ◽  
Carmine Di Ilio ◽  
Bartolo Favaloro

MsrA (methionine sulphoxide reductase A) is an antioxidant repair enzyme that reduces oxidized methionine to methionine. Moreover, the oxidation of methionine residues in proteins is considered to be an important consequence of oxidative damage to cells. To understand mechanisms of human msrA gene expression and regulation, we cloned and characterized the 5′ promoter region of the human msrA gene. Using 5′-RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) analysis of purified mRNA from human cells, we located the transcription initiation site 59 nt upstream of the reference MsrA mRNA sequence, GenBank® accession number BC 054033. The 1.3 kb of sequence located upstream of the first exon of msrA gene was placed upstream of the luciferase reporter gene in a pGL3-Basic vector and transfected into different cell lines. Sequentially smaller fragments of the msrA promoter region were generated by PCR, and expression levels were monitored from these constructs within HEK-293 and MCF7 human cell lines. Analysis of deletion constructs revealed differences in promoter activity in these cell lines. In HEK-293 cells, the promoter activity was constant from the minimal promoter region to the longest fragment obtained. On the other hand, in MCF7 cells we detected a down-regulation in the longest fragment. Mutation of a putative negative regulatory region that is located between −209 and −212 bp (the CCAA box) restored promoter activity in MCF7 cells. The location of the msrA promoter will facilitate analysis of the transcriptional regulation of this gene in a variety of pathological contexts.



Blood ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 101 (4) ◽  
pp. 1551-1557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yubin Ge ◽  
Tanya L. Jensen ◽  
Larry H. Matherly ◽  
Jeffrey W. Taub

Children with Down syndrome (DS) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have significantly higher event-free survival rates compared to those with non-DS AML, linked to greater cytosine arabinoside (ara-C) sensitivity and higher transcript levels of the chromosome 21–localized gene, cystathionine-β-synthase(CBS), in DS myeloblasts. In this study, we examined the transcriptional regulation of the CBS gene in the DS megakaryocytic leukemia (AMkL) cell line, CMK, characterized by significantly higher CBS transcripts compared with the non-DS AMkL cell line, CMS. Rapid amplification of 5′-cDNA ends (5′-RACE) analysis demonstrated exclusive use of the CBS−1b promoter in the cell lines, and transient transfections with the full-length CBS −1b luciferase reporter gene construct showed 40-fold greater promoter activity in the CMK than CMS cells. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed enhanced binding of the transcription factors Sp1/Sp3 to 2 GC/GT-box elements (GC-f and GT-d) in the upstream regions of the CBS −1b promoter in CMK nuclear extracts and undetectable binding in CMS cells. Mutation of the GC-f– or GT-d–binding site resulted in an approximately 90% decrease of theCBS −1b promoter activity in transient transfections of CMK cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed in vivo binding of Sp3, USF-1, and nuclear factor YA (NF-YA) to theCBS −1b promoter region in chromatin extracts of CMK and CMS cells. Decreased binding of Sp1/Sp3 in CMK nuclear extracts following treatment with calf alkaline phosphatase suggested a role for phosphorylation of Sp1/Sp3 in regulating CBS promoter activity and in the differential CBS expression between CMK and CMS cells. The results of this study with clinically relevant cell line models suggest potential mechanisms for disparate patterns ofCBS gene expression in DS and non-DS myeloblasts and may, in part, explain the greater sensitivity to chemotherapy shown by patients with DS AML.



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